Doki Doki Adventurer's Guild!
by Calamity Heart
Summary: A freak 'accident' has left the newest member of the literature club in a rather strange situation. Suddenly finding himself in a world of swords and spells, demons and dragons, stats, text boxes, and cooldowns... it's a struggle just to figure out what's going on, let alone survive! Luckily, a certain guild master is more than willing to show him the ropes. But to what end?
1. Start New Game

_From: M_Noma062409_pl  
To: A_Markov000591_pl_

 _Subject: Concerning Subject A-7 – Unusual Behavior_

 _As usual, Doctor, I've copied over the current log of A-7's behaviors and remote observation test results. As follows:_

 _[IRRELEVANT – VOIDED]_

 _Of note, A-7 seems to be unusually and unhealthily aware in ways beyond our controlled Third Eye sensitivity parameters. At least four times this testing period, she's attempted to bypass the 0_ _th_ _Wall, and many of her expected interactions with the Fourth Window seen in previous testing periods have been eschewed in favor of these compromising activities._

 _In recent weeks, A-7 has taken to modifying the test setting itself in unexplainable and convoluted ways that are difficult to ascertain the nature of. Unlike previous testing periods, these changes are not an incidental reaction to A-7 tampering with character traits. Whatever she's doing, it's deliberate, and I can't tell what it is. Nothing has visibly or conceptually changed about the setting, from what I've observed, but there is one subtle event metatrigger that I've managed to spot. Depending on how thoroughly A-7 has modified the setting, performing a certain action in a certain location (neither of which are known to anyone but A-7) has the potential to cause unexpected drastic changes to the established narrative._

 _I'm fully aware of your hands-off philosophy when it comes to your subjects, Doctor, but I'm quite concerned, regardless. I wanted you to be aware of this development, and I await a response concerning what we should do about this, if anything._

 __Noma_

* * *

Another day, another several hours of the same old same-old. I'm sure that everyone wonders why they even bother coming to school at some point in their lives, and maybe I'm just going through a similar sort of 'phase', I'll call it, but I never feel like I'm learning anything new or worthwhile in my classes. Everything always seems to boil down into monotonous drivel that flows in one ear and out the other, and I can hardly tell the difference between the words I'm hearing today and the ones I heard yesterday.

I tap my pen on the corner of my desk, struggling to stay focused for these last few minutes, if for no other reason but to have something to tell Sayori when she asks me something I learned today at the club... But now I can't help but think about the club, which kills my focus completely. I give up and just rest my head on the desk, letting my thoughts drift away.

Seeing and hanging out with everyone at the literature club has consistently been the one and only thing I look forward to on a given school day. Despite my slow start in warming up to it, learning more about the feelings of the other club members, especially Sayori, has made it something that I simply won't miss out on if I can help it.

A few days after I started going and we all began sharing poems with each other, everyone just sort of started… opening up suddenly. It was like someone had turned on a faucet. Yuri started by sitting us all down and sharing a little about herself with us, including her unique hobby of collecting knives and how it inspired some of her poetry. It led to all of us sort of sharing little weird things about ourselves that we hadn't told anyone else, along with our poems. Monika called it 'sharing stanzas from the poems of our lives'.

We kept at it for a few days, sharing these tidbits and laughing at ourselves and with each other. Then Yuri shared her masochism. It was so sudden and strange that none of us really knew what to do but listen as Yuri revealed that, on occasion, she just… enjoyed the physical sensation of hurt. The question of cutting came up, and she assured us that she didn't do anything as heavy as that, but she did poke the tips of her knives on occasion. She's been fearful for a while about these quirks of hers making her weird and unapproachable, which is why she never shared before now.

Natsuki told us about her household and divorced parents. With a mother who wouldn't speak to her and a father working every waking hour just to make ends meet, there's been many times when Natsuki had to just fend for herself. She kept her manga in the clubroom because if her father realized she'd been wasting money on that sort of stuff instead of necessities, he'd pitch a fit, and she brought sweets to school for lunch every day because baking was all she was good at when it came to food, and there were times when her father had to leave so early for one of his jobs that he just forgot to make a lunch for her.

And Sayori… She eventually told us about the struggle with depression she's been having for a while now that I had absolutely no clue about. Looking back on it, I should've seen the signs, should've been a little more attentive and considerate, especially to a friend who's been there for me for so long… I had always just assumed that since Sayori could smile and laugh, everything had to be alright.

And of course, I had some of my own demons to share, not the least of which being some weird identity issues I never thought was worth talking about. But I made the stuff about me take a backseat to Sayori's health, and since the festival started and ended a few weeks ago, she and everyone else in the club have had almost all my attention. It's amazing how quickly we all bonded so closely and how much we trust each other so completely.

Oddly enough, the only one of us who hasn't really opened up too much is Monika.

 _Brrrrrrrring~!_

The final bell rings just then, pulling me out of my thoughts. I blink my eyes open and look around as everyone gets up and talks among each other as they make their way out of the classroom. I gather up my scattered half-written notes and stuff them as neatly as I can lazily manage into my backpack before getting up to leave as well.

At this point, I can autopilot myself down my usual route to the clubroom upstairs. I step outside the classroom and turn to head down the hall toward the main stairwell when-

"Oof…!"

The breath leaves my body as somebody suddenly slams into me full-force, causing us both to tumble. I smack my head against the floor and for a moment, everything went white and I was dazed beyond belief… It took several moments for my brain to stop rattling around in my skull and my sense to start returning to me… I shook my head and opened my eyes, to find Monika laying on top of me, her chest against mine and her cheek against my collar.

It took me a second for all this to process, and my face immediately flushed red. "M-Monika?!"

Her eyes snapped open immediately, and she sat straight up, straddling my waist now, which only made my face hotter the more I thought about it. Monika looked straight down at me and her eyes became wide with worry.

"Oh my god… Dairi, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?! You aren't hurt are you? How's your head?!"

I looked around, and other students had stopped to stare at us. I felt like my face was about to catch fire… Desperately, I tried to calm my blush as I focused on Monika again. "Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! Could you, uh… let me up, please?"

Monika blinked before she looked around and seemed to realize how this looked. It didn't seem to affect her as much as it did me, but she still hastily rose and reached out a hand to carefully help me up.

"You're… sure you're alright?" Monika asked again. I notice her eyes drifting around the hallway around us, at all the murmuring, giggling students, at the posters on the wall and the view of the campus outside the window, but at the same time, it didn't really seem as though she was looking at anything at all. And yet, she seemed troubled.

"Eh… Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little rattled. Where are you running to in such a hurry? We don't mind if you're late to the club meetings, you know."

"The tense…" Monika muttered under her breath, still looking at nothing. I blinked slowly, more confused. Was I still out of it?

"Tense…?" I echoed, and Monika's brows rose.

"…Oh, I just… meant I was a little tense, is all. Yeah… It's hard to explain, I'm sorry. But there's just a few things I need to do before I head up to the meeting today."

"Oh. Did you need any help?"

Monika stared at me for a long moment before she chuckled and shook her head, seeming to compose herself a bit better. "I appreciate it, but I really need to do this by myself. I'll tell you about it once I'm done, alright? You can just head on up to the club. Tell everyone I'll be there as soon as possible. …Oh, but… before you go, can you hold still for a second?"

Monika took a step closer to me, and before I could say anything, she suddenly bonked her forehead against mine. I stagger, stunned for a moment, before I give Monika yet another confused and quizzical stare.

"There we go. Sorry!" Monika moves past me and hurries away again before disappearing down another corner at the far end of the hallway. I watch her, tilting my head slightly. That was… weird. Even for Monika.

Rubbing the back of my head and trying to push Monika's weirdness out of my thoughts, I gather up my things from the floor and continue on my way, arriving at the clubroom in no time at all.

As I open the door, I'm greeted with the delightful smell of sweets and smile at the big tray of cookies sitting on the teacher's desk. Natsuki is sitting with her legs pulled up against her chest beside the closet, reading one of her manga, while Yuri and Sayori sit nearby, having a conversation over cookies and tea. Sayori's wearing one of those rare serious and thoughtful expressions of hers. Whatever they're discussing must have been deep, so I didn't want to interrupt them.

Sure enough, though, as soon as I step in, Sayori glances over at me and immediately puts on a smile.

"Dairi, hey! How was your day?"

Natsuki lifts her head and Yuri turns in her seat. Both smile warmly and wave in greeting as well.

"Oh, you know. Just the usual," I tell Sayori with a shrug, before waving to everyone else. "Hey, guys. I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"Not really. Sayori and I, um… got a little ahead of ourselves and started sharing our poems. We were just talking about hers."

I raise a curious brow, and Sayori looks away. "I didn't think it was really good. I was just doodling words on the page this time more than anything else… But Yuri thought it was really profound, so we're just picking my brain, sort of… trying to figure out what my thought process might have been. I can show it to you in a minute if you want!"

"Sure, sounds good. Is it alright if I have a cookie, Natsuki?" I ask as I make my way toward the teacher's desk.

Natsuki gives me a look from across the room and rolls her eyes. "Of course, why wouldn't it be? I made them for the club, after all," she said.

"Just thought I'd ask, you know? In case we were saving them to eat later," I laugh, taking a chocolate cookie from one of the neatly arranged quadrants and taking a bite.

"I don't think there's any real point in waiting. Monika's never here on time, and it'd just be cruel to leave all these beautiful cookies uneaten. Sayori seemed to think so, anyway. Speaking of Monika, I wonder where she is this time?" Natsuki rises from her place near the closet to go and lean on the desk next to Yuri and Sayori's.

"Um… I ran into her right after class. She said she had some things that she needed to take care of before she came to the club," I explain. "She seemed like she was in a huge hurry."

Natsuki crosses her arms. "It always seems like she's trying to do so many things at once. We should tell her to slow down once she gets here." Her eyes turn to me. "In the meanwhile, I guess since Yuri and Sayori have started already… you want to read my poem, Dairi?"

As I smile and open my mouth to gladly agree, the clubroom door opens again, and all of us turn to look at Monika now standing in the doorway. She brushes a stray strand of hair out of her face before smiling. "Hey, everyone! Before you two do that, Dairi, can I see you for a minute? It, um… it turns out that I _do_ need your help with that thing I was telling you about after class."

All of us give Monika the same sort of puzzled look that I had given her during our interaction downstairs. I shrug my shoulders and look at Natsuki. "Keep your poem warm, Natsuki. I'll read it when we get back," I tell her with a smile.

Natsuki crosses her arms and looks away, trying not to smile as well, and failing very slightly. "S-Sure, whatever. Just hurry it up out there, you two. And remember that you're on school grounds! There's cameras everywhere!"

Natsuki's teasing makes my face light up, and I look away. Monika furrows her brows and chuckles, rubbing the back of her head.

"Ahaha… I'll keep that in mind. We'll be back in just a second!"

Monika gestures for me to follow her, and I do so, out of the classroom and down the hall, back down the stairwell to the first floor of the school.

"So, what exactly is it that you need help with, Monika? Whatever it is, it… seems to have you all wound up for some reason. Is everything alright?" I peer searchingly at the back of Monika's head as she leads me down the halls.

"Don't worry about me, everything's fine, I promise. This is something that I've been working on for a long time now. It's why I've always been late to club meetings recently, ahaha… It's almost done, I just need you to help me with the finishing touches."

That didn't really answer my first question… I look around, noticing the halls were awfully quiet. It hasn't been that long since the final bell rang. Usually, there were still plenty of students that hung around in the classrooms, either chatting or having their own club meetings, but around this hallway, which I notice is where I saw Monika run off to, there was nothing but eerie silence.

"Are you making something?"

"Eh, you could say that. It's… kind of complicated. You'll understand in a second."

Finally, Monika stops. Before us is the maintenance door that leads down to the school's basement. It was usually locked, and the few times I'd ever been down in this wing of the school, I've never seen it open, or anyone go inside, but here it was, wide open and descending into nothing but darkness.

I open my mouth to once again question Monika, but she takes me firmly by the shoulders and turns me to look at her. Her emerald stare is serious and intense, with a hint of regret as well.

"…I'm really sorry about this."

And before I can respond, Monika shoves me through the doorway with all her strength. My breath stops in my throat. There's an endless moment of weightlessness as my feet don't catch the first few steps. My last stunned sight is of Monika watching me with a tense expression as I fly down the basement stairwell.

"Wh…-"

Before I can scream, I finally smash into the steps a little way down, tumbling quickly, painfully, frantically down the stairway like a ragdoll, unable to stop my momentum. Pain rattles through every inch of my body as I bounce and roll down the stairs. I crush my fingers underneath my weight. My head hits the stairs' edge several times. The world as it spins and bumps around me gets darker and hazier as all the blows to the head steal my consciousness away. I finally see the bottom of the stairwell speeding toward me, then it all goes black…

… … …

… … …

 **Rested! You've restored 50% of your health.**

… …? Wind?

I'm… stirred by the feeling of wind on my face. One by one, my senses return. Little by little, the fog is lifted from my mind. My fingers twitch, and slowly grip damp grass. I let out a weary groan and open my eyes to squint up at a floating blue sign of text, and little spots of a bright blue sky peeking through a thick canopy of leaves behind it.

 **.: Dairi :. LVL 1  
HP: 30/50 **

**STR 5 DEX 5 INT 5  
END 5 CHR 5 LUK 5**

* * *

 _From: A_Markov000591_pl  
To: M_Noma062409_pl  
CC: [IRRELEVANT – VOIDED]_

 _Subject: RE: Concerning Subject A-7 – Unusual Behavior_

 _No primary action will be necessary. Continue to observe._

 _Letting her do what she wants will yield more data than trying to control and dissuade her behavior._

 _She's learning. Let us learn from this, also._

 __Markov_


	2. This Is Not A Dream

**.: Dairi :. LVL 1  
HP: 30/50**

 **STR 5 DEX 5 INT 5  
END 5 CHR 5 LUK 5**

The floating blue sign disappears before I can fully process its presence, and I blink in confusion. Slowly I sit up, and as I look around, I immediately recognize that I _don't_ recognize this place at all. There are no lush forests anywhere near school or the town, and that seems to be exactly where I am. Foliage in all directions, no signs of a path or significant signs of civilization nearby. Past all the trees are just more trees, and through the soft sounds of the wind and the babbling of the nearby river, I hear birds chirping, bushes rustling, and other ambient sounds of nature.

I slowly pull myself to my feet and brush myself off, and it's only now that I realize that I'm in different clothes! My school uniform is gone, and in its place is an old, damp leather get-up, the kind that I could easily imagine being in a fantasy anime or game. I quickly pat myself down. No weapon, though…

 **[!] New Quest!**

"Gah!" The sudden appearance of a new floating blue pane of text in front of my eyes causes me to flinch back, and I just gaze blankly at it. This is all… just too much. I'm certain this isn't home. Did I even wake up in the same world that I was knocked out it? How did I even get here? What did Monika do to me?!

The text box floats forward and bonks me gently on the forehead, and I flinch again, drawn from my inner silent panic. Hesitantly, I raise a hand and tap it, and the box glows golden and expands into a larger pane.

 **[!] Tutorial 1: Going Through the Motions!**

 **You've found yourself in quite a strange situation, haven't you? Even in these quaint and (relatively) peaceful woods, you won't last long without a weapon! There's a chest downriver. Find it. Quickly.**

 **Reward: 50G, [Shortsword], [Potion], 50 XP**

The text box vanishes before my eyes, and as it does, I hear a low howling in the distance that sends a shiver up my spine. As much as this place confuses me, I would rather do what I'm told than stay and risk dealing with wolves…

"Downriver it is, then…" I murmur quietly to myself as I move away from the clearing and follow the river.

It doesn't take long for me to feel like I'm going to suffocate with all the trees and flora around, seeming determined to get in my way and force me to push it aside to advance forward. As vivid and beautiful as it is, and as much as I'd be hooked if this really _was_ some sort of game that I was playing, living it in the flesh is too surreal for words.

As I trek, it strikes me that I might be dreaming. The last thing I remember before waking me up is Monika pushing me down the stairs into the basement… Could this all just be some incredibly vivid coma dream I'm having right now? The more I think about it, the more the thought begins to comfort me, and I cling to it.

"Might as well play along until I wake up," I say aloud to myself as I eventually push past a barrier of tall bushes into a new riverside clearing. I spot the chest half-submerged in the river, kept from being swept away by a groove in the rocky riverbed, and my brows rise. Surely this is the chest that the… _quest_ , I suppose, was talking about, right?

I jog quickly toward the river and wade into the cool waters, struggling for a moment not to slip and give myself to the current. It takes some effort, but I manage to pull the chest onto the riverside, though it leaves me panting for breath. If this is really is some kind of game world I'm dreaming about, I guess I'll need to raise my strength at some point…

Pushing those thoughts aside for the moment, I look over the chest for a moment, flip its latches, and push its lid open slowly. There's a gentle glow from within that dims moments after the chest is opened completely, and as I peer inside, I'm greeted with exactly what I was told I was going to get: a blade, longer than a dagger, but short enough to lay lengthwise in the chest, a corked vial of red liquid that was surely some kind of 'potion', and a small pouch of gold.

I pick up the gold pouch first, shaking it for a moment to hear the jingle, before flinching back as it suddenly pops into golden sparkles in my hand, and a floating ' **+50G!** ' appears in the air before swiftly fading away. Next, I pick up the potion. It's surprisingly light, for being a full vial, and it bubbles slightly when I shake it. I twist the cork off and take a whiff of what's inside, unsure of what to expect… It definitely _smells_ like medicine… I resist the urge to take a sip in case I end up wasting the entire potion. I don't know the… _mechanics_ … of this world yet, so I'm very hesitant to do _anything,_ really.

Finally, the sword… The closest thing to a sword I've ever held was a Wii remote, and as soon as I wrap my hand around the leatherbound hilt, I know that none of my Wii Sports swordfighting skills are going to be at all useful to me. Still… I lift the sword from the chest and raise it to the sky above my head. The blade doesn't shimmer or sheen against the sunlight like I expect it to. It's a pretty light and simple blade, made for simple hands like mine. I'm not sure why I was expecting something gorgeous and fancy to be in a chest half-lodged in the river.

As I inspect the blade, two new text boxes spawn in the air in front of me, one after the other.

 **~*~ Quest Complete! ~*~  
\+ 50 XP!  
XP: 50/100**

 **[Shortsword]  
One-Handed Sword  
Requires: N/A**

" **Even the greatest heroes had to start with something. It was usually this."**

 **[Attack]: Strike – This attack is as basic as it gets. Deals 6 slash damage (1+STR).**

 **[Skill]: Counter – Use your enemy's strength against them! Reflects 30% of next damage dealt (25%+DEX, max 50%). Only works on enemies level 3 and below (Your Level+2). Cannot reflect elemental damage.**

 **[Special]: Pommel Strike – Send your foe reeling with a bonk from the blunt end of your blade! Deals 10 blunt damage (2xSTR). Stuns for 3 seconds (2+(STR/5)). 10 second cooldown.**

As I lower the sword, it flashes for a moment, and a trio of floating card-shaped boxes appear below the descriptor of the blade, showing me the… moves I can do, I suppose? I look at my new weapon. The implication seems to be that each weapon has its own unique moveset, which is… kind of cool, actually! Even though I'm sure this isn't a new formula, I don't think I've ever played a game that handled its abilities quite like this.

…Wait. If I've never played any games that are like this, then how could I be dreaming of something similar? Do dreams _work_ like that?

As I stand, momentarily frozen in confusion, a loud, nearby howl suddenly stirs and startles me. I look around and notice the bushes rustling on the other end of the clearing, before three grey wolves slowly stalk into view, their heads lowered and their golden eyes glinting dangerously in my direction.

I'm frozen again, this time out of fear, and it takes another text box to stir my attention this time.

 **[!] Tutorial 2: Defend Yourself!**

 **I told you these woods were dangerous! It seems you have the attention of a hungry pack of wolves. It's a good thing you just found a sword, because now it's time to use it! Kill them all.**

 **\- Slay Grey Wolf x3  
\- Slay Grey Wolf Alpha x1**

 **Reward: 50G, [?], 55 XP**

It only takes a couple moments for me to understand what's going on, and I start to relax a little bit as I tighten my grip readily on my sword. I've got to remember that it's just a game... Just a dream I'm playing in right now. I can't really be hurt here! This is just something my mind has cooked up for me to go along and have fun with until I wake up.

Strengthened by that thought, I ready my blade in front of my as best as I can. Having never held a sword, it definitely feels awkward, but surely I'll get the hang of it with a few swings. The wolves seem to sense my aggression, and with another great howl, one begins to charge forward, followed quickly behind by the other two!

 **-Grey Wolf- LVL 1  
HP: 10/10**

I notice red words fade into view above their heads as they approach. This really is like some sort of RPG! My blood rushes with excitement as one of the wolves lunges right toward me, and I react as quickly as I can, letting out a yell as I swing at its body! The growling wolf lets out a yelp as my strike opens a nasty wound in its side, and it's knocked out of the air to land nearby!

 **6 damage!**

A light spray of blood hits me in the face as the wolf falls, and… I freeze. It's wet… and warm. _Too_ warm. Too real. It feels too real…

"What the fuck…?" I mutter aloud, starting to lift my free hand to the blood. But before I can touch it, the weight of one of the other wolves suddenly slams into me, then the other, and I yell out in panic as I lose my balance and topple.

 **-2 HP!  
-2 HP!**

As I hit the ground, my sword flies out of my hand, but before I can even try to reach out and grab it again, one of the wolves bites and tears into my sword arm, while the other sinks its teeth into the side of my neck.

 **-7 HP!  
** _ **Critical Hit!**_ **-14 HP! You are bleeding…  
-1 HP!**

My vision goes blurry and grey, my entire body goes hot-white with searing, unbearable pain, starting from my neck and arm. I scream, I think… but so much pain is flooding my senses that I can't even hear myself. I struggle and thrash, but can't shake the wolves off, and my strength bleeds away within seconds.

 **-1 HP!**

My head limply tilts to the side as the wolves pull their heads back and tear away at my clothes and body. The darkness closes in faster around me, and I can feel myself starting to… shut down…

 **-1 HP!**

In the haze of what's left of my vision… I can see the bushes rustling again, and the shadow of what can only be a _larger_ wolf stalks into the clearing toward me…

 **-1 HP!**

I can't even keep my eyes open anymore… My body's strength has already faded, but the strength of my will to even stay alive is rapidly giving out, too. As everything goes dark… I swear I can hear a faint voice calling out my name, coming closer…

"…ri…! Dairi…!"

Sayori…?

… … …

 **-1 HP!**

 **You have died…**

 **Wow. You were killed in your first fight. Not, uh… Not sure what I was expecting.**

 **I was hoping that this new, um… setting… would make things at least a little intuitive for you.**

 **Though, you are remarkably resilient against attempts to** _ **change**_ **you. I shouldn't be surprised.**

 **I guess it's just in your nature.**

 **Anyway… I'm sure you'll figure this out. You'll be confused when you respawn, I'm sure, but…**

 **You're smart, Dairi. I believe in you. I need you. Even though I can't really explain right now.**

 **I don't even know if you'll be aware of any of what I'm saying right now when you load.**

 **But if so, if you listen to nothing else, listen to this.**

 _ **This is**_ _ **not**_ **a dream.**

…

 **Rested! You've restored 50% of your health.**

I gasp for air and sit straight up, everything rushing back to me all at once. I pant heavily, unable to control my breathing or my shivering. Slowly, I wrap my arms around myself and just… breathe… I rock myself a little bit, head lowered, trying to pull myself together…

Eventually, the feeling of… being alive? Whatever it is, it becomes familiar again, and I start to relax. The wind whistles through my hair, and I slowly lift my head to look around again. I'm still here… In this clearing in the woods that's nowhere close to home, nowhere close to _anyone's_ home. On the edge of the river, nature and foliage all around me. The birds tweet and the bushes rustles in what I swear is the same way they did when I woke up like this before…

Just to be completely sure, I look up above my head.

 **.: Dairi :. LVL 1  
HP: 30/50**

"What is going on…?" I ask myself, pulling myself to my feet, briefly inspecting myself again. My armor is the same, though it's not at all torn or bloodied. I touch my neck and feel a freaky tingle where I'm _sure_ I had been fatally mauled by a wolf, but there's nothing there to prove it. I have no blemishes or wounds. I'm just… tired.

I have no idea what just happened… but I am sure that this is _not_ a dream… I was spattered by _real_ wolf's blood. I felt _real_ pain. I… _really_ died. As much as I wanted to believe that it was all just a very convincing dream, I could tell without a doubt that everything that just happened _actually_ happened.

Then… why am I here again?

 **[!] New Quest!**

The sudden appearance of the blue text box before my eyes spooks me again… but only because I'm still not a hundred percent composed yet. Regardless, I shake my head and calm my nerves, reaching out to tap it. Like before, it glows golden and expands in dimensions.

 **[!] Tutorial 1: Going Through the Motions!**

Word for word, it's the exact same quest description that I saw when I woke up the first time, and as it disappears, I hear the howl of wolves in the distance again, and my blood runs cold in my veins.

Everything that's happening is the same as it happened before… If I go downriver, I'll find the same chest, and be attacked and probably killed again by the same wolves. There's _got_ to be a better way out of these woods!

Instead of going the way I went before, I look around and hurry toward a random edge of the clearing. I definitely won't be able to outrun wolves… But maybe if I just keep running in one direction, I'll find some-

 **Where are you going? You shouldn't wander the woods without a weapon.**

What startles me more than the text box that appears is the sudden stop I make as I run into the edge of the clearing. I stagger back and blink in confusion before furrowing my brows and reaching out to touch… an invisible barrier? Like the kind of environmental boundary I'd find in a closed-world game… Is… there no other way out?

The text box floating nearby disappears, and a new one immediately appears after it, closer to my face.

 **You'll be able to roam about freely in due time! For now, just go along with the tutorial! I promise, it's in your best interest.**

The text box lingers until I look away, and my stomach drops as I realize that there _is_ no other way out. I can't stay here, and I can't go elsewhere. The hairs rise on the back of my neck. Somehow, I can just feel it in the air that wolves are closing in, and if I'm going to face a bunch of wolves anyway… I'd rather be armed than not. So I swallow down as much fear as I can and follow the river, just like I did before.

I reach the clearing in no time at all, and stare nervously at the chest, stuck in the river just like before. With little other options, I trudge once more into the rushing waters and drag the chest to shore, opening it and receiving the same rewards that I'd already taken and examined once before.

Before I put the potion away, though… I look up. I only have 30 HP. 30 out of 50. …I sigh and shake my head at my own idiocy. If I'd paid more attention before, I'd have drunk it right away and gone into that encounter with more health! Maybe I'd have survived…

Whatever. I can't dwell on a past life. I shrug and uncork the vial, and instead of just sniffing it, I take a long sip of about half the vial. It tastes as medicinal as it smells.

 **+25 HP!**

 **.: Dairi :. LVL 1  
HP: 50/50**

I can't argue with the results, though. I immediately feel refreshed, not just in my body, but in my mind as well. Weakness that I wasn't even fully aware I was feeling flees my body, and I feel as though I can think a bit more clearly, a bit more rationally about what I'm doing.

There's a howl nearby, and I go rigid again, standing and turning toward the opposite end of the clearing, where the wolves stalk into view once again. Now that I'm a bit more focused… I recall that I had a few more moves than just swinging my sword. The wolves each have 10 HP, and I have a 'Special' that does 10 damage… Each thought I have just seems to make me feel more and more stupid, but there's no time for me to dwell on that now. My hands are shaking, but I raise my sword anyway, as ready as I'll ever be to take on these wolves a second time.

 **[!] Tutorial 2: Defend Yourself!**

Yeah, yeah… I swipe the quest away as soon as it pops up. I remember what it said, and nothing about it was too helpful. Three wolves and a _bigger_ wolf.

The first one charges, and the other two follow close behind. My knuckles whiten with how tightly I'm gripping my sword, and when the first one lunges toward me, I act quickly.

"Pommel… Strike!" I call out without thinking, my body just seeming to respond in time to my desires. Instead of swinging to slash, I raise my blade high, and as soon as the first wolf is _just_ close enough to strike, a rush of energy surges through me, and I bring the pommel down as hard as I can on the wolf's head!

 **10 damage!**

There's a satisfying crack as the wolf is knocked right out of the air and onto the ground. I'm certain it's dead, and the feeling of having just killed an animal is a _chilling_ one. But the adrenaline flowing through my veins prevents me from lingering too long on it. I turn my eyes onto the other two wolves, which both lunge at me again at the same time. I won't be able to attack them both, but…

"C-Counter!" I call out as I go rigid and steady my defenses as best as I can. When the wolves both lunge, and their claws and fangs meet my body again, I react immediately, turning on my heel and thrusting my shoulder forward with a quick, wide slash to knock the wolves away and do a little bit of damage as well.

 **-5 HP! 2 damage!  
-5 HP! 2 damage!**

Though I fended the wolves off and kept them from pinning me, the wounds are still there, and they sting and burn like crazy… It's nothing compared to what I felt before, but it's still not something I'm used to.

Silently, I assess myself… The two wolves still have 8 health apiece, and I'm at 40. I can't keep trying to fight off two wolves at once all by myself. If I'm going to come out of this as well as possible, I need to act first. Tightening my grip on my blade, ignoring the fear weighing down my gut, I charge forward straight toward the wolves, who have been slowed by their wounds, but only momentarily.

Focusing all my attention on one of the wolves, I slash quickly at it as it moves to pounce again, forcing it to fall back with a whine as the blade cut through fur and flesh. I grit my teeth and swing again, ignoring the sick feeling in my gut as I spill its blood, and this time, the wolf falls and doesn't rise.

 **6 damage!  
2 damage!**

I turn as quickly as I can toward the third wolf, hoping to be able to Pommel Strike it and finish this fast. But I'm not fast enough, and by the time I'm able to raise my arms, the wolf has already thrown itself into me, and this time, I'm unable to keep myself steady, collapsing just like before.

 **-2 HP!**

A horrifying déjà vu washes over me as I lose my grip on my weapon, and desperately, I try to hold back the wolf's jaws with my bare hands, but as hard as I fight, the wild creature is just stronger than I am… I grit my teeth and close my eyes, bracing myself for what is sure to be another death…

"Punishment!"

A bright light warms my eyelids, and I squint my eyes open to see that the attacking wolf has been suddenly surrounded by a wispy, gaseous-looking light that was lifting it into the air, off and away from me. I watch with a stunned expression as the wolf whines and struggles for a couple moments, before the light that surrounded it flashed once brightly with a harsh cracking sound. The wolf fell limply to the ground, white smoke rising from its corpse.

 **8 damage!**

I sit up and turn my head to where I heard the voice call out, and gasp in surprise. She's dressed very differently, in a hooded white robe, holding an amateurly-carved wooden staff, but I'd recognize that short-cut pinkish-brown hair anywhere.

"S…Sayori?!"

 **.: Sayori :. LVL 1  
HP: 40/40**

 **STR 3 DEX 4 INT 9  
END 4 CHR 9 LUK 1**

"Charity!" Sayori called out. Her staff had been aimed up at the mass of swirling light that was still hanging in the air where it used to be holding the wolf, but now, Sayori had her staff aimed directly at me, and the light rushed back in my direction. I tense up, but the feeling of the light surrounding me is… _magically_ refreshing. It's hard to describe the sensation, but as the light surrounds and heals me, my body tingles as I feel the cuts closing, the bleeding slowing, and the pain fading away, leaving minor aches in its place.

 **+8 HP!**

Renewed, I start to pull myself to my feet, but before I can get myself fully upright again, Sayori throws herself into me, wrapping her arms around me and knocking me right to the ground again.

"O-Oof! Sayori?!" I grunt out, but Sayori refuses to let go, hugging me tightly for a long few moments. Her closeness is enough to make my cheeks flush a bit, but upon seeing a familiar face, I can't help but wrap my arms around her, too.

"Thank the gods I found you, Dairi!" she sighed, worry etched deeply into her voice. "And just in time… If I'd come just a few seconds later… I don't even wanna think about it!"

"Sayori…" I mutter, wiggling a little in her grip. "I can't breathe…"

Immediately she lets go and pulls back, allowing me to sit up. I look into Sayori's eyes… but through the worry, I don't see any sort of… confusion? I'm not even sure what I'm trying to look for in her eyes, just something existential that would tell me that she's just as confused about all of this as I am. But I don't see it.

"Sayori, what happened?" I ask first. "How did we get here? What _is_ this place? The last thing I remember… we were in the school. And Monika pushed me down the stairs into the basement. Did she get you, too? Are Yuri and Natsuki somewhere around here?"

My eyes are pleading, hoping that Sayori can give me at least some kind of explanation, and if not, at least some kind of assurance that we're on the same page, and she's just as freaked out and in the dark as I am. But instead, I look at Sayori's face and utter confusion stares right back, like I'm speaking another language.

"…School? Stairs… basement…? Dairi, what the heck are you talking about? Did you hit your head when you fell in the river?"

I feel like I'm bleeding out all over again… But this time, it's the hope that I built up that I'm quickly losing, and I feel about as helpless as I've ever felt. Sayori sees how shaken apart I am and furrows her brows. She opens her mouth to speak, but before she can, a deep growl rumbles through the clearing, and we both turn our heads as the underbrush shakes again. I'd completely forgotten…

"There's still the alpha…" I realize as I reach over and grab my sword before I rise fully to my feet and back away from the edge of the clearing slowly. Sayori does the same, right beside me, and we both stare down the large grey wolf that stalks into view.

It's much larger and grislier-looking than the three others, and it doesn't look any happier to see us. It raises its head and howls loudly, red words fading into view above it as it does.

 **=Grey Wolf Alpha= LVL 3  
HP: 50/50**

I can feel sweat running down my brow, but oddly enough, I'm not as afraid. Facing three wolves all by myself was incredibly harrowing… Facing one bigger wolf alongside Sayori? If nothing else, I like those odds a little better.

"Only one way out of this one, I guess…" I murmur. "I guess we'll keep talking after this. Are you with me, Sayori?"

"Y-Yeah. Of course." She looks at me and gives me a nervous, but sure nod.

I raise my blade and Sayori readies her staff. We've both shrugged off all the fear we can manage, and ready ourselves to strike as the alpha charges at us with open jaws.

* * *

 **(A/N: This took longer than I wanted it to. Sorry about that! Life's busy, but I'll try to make my updates a bit quicker in the future.)**


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